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Illegal mining in Gurugram starts eroding protective Aravalli barrier

Jan 18, 2025 10:44 PM IST

Illegal mining in the Aravalli range threatens biodiversity, groundwater, and local communities, leading to severe ecological and economic consequences.

The Aravalli range — spanning Rajasthan, Haryana, and parts of Delhi — is often referred to as northwest India’s protective barrier against the encroaching Thar desert. These ancient hills play a crucial role in checking desertification, recharging groundwater, regulating local climates, absorbing pollution, and providing habitats for a rich variety of wildlife including leopards, hyenas, wolves, and numerous bird species. The forests and green cover of the Aravallis act as a lung for the region, supporting both human and ecological communities.

Illegal mining in the Aravalli hills is significantly draining government revenue in the state. (HT Photo)
Illegal mining in the Aravalli hills is significantly draining government revenue in the state. (HT Photo)

However, rampant illegal mining activities have begun to erode this natural shield.

The environmental devastation wrought by illegal mining in the Aravalli hills is both immediate and far-reaching, experts say — systematic demolitions for stone extraction has led to the rapid loss of vegetation and topsoil, transforming these once-thriving ecosystems into barren landscapes marked by craters and open pits.

As the protection offered by the Aravallis weakens, the encroachment of the Thar desert becomes an increasingly tangible threat.

Grave consequences of rampant mining

Environmentalists warn that the destruction of the Aravallis has severe and far-reaching consequences. “Each time a hill is blasted, we lose not just a physical structure but also the ecosystem it supports,” said Vaishali Rana, an environmentalist who has studied the region for over a decade.

Her observations underline the critical point that these hills are not mere rock formations but living systems that maintain ecological balance.

The loss of vegetation and topsoil leads to a cascade of environmental issues. Without trees and plants to anchor the soil, the area becomes vulnerable to erosion. Rainwater, instead of being absorbed by the ground to recharge aquifers, runs off rapidly, leading to the formation of gullies and further loss of fertile soil. This not only diminishes the land’s capacity for future growth but also undermines the natural water-retention capacity crucial for sustaining agriculture and providing drinking water.

As the hills are scarred and ecosystems are dismantled, wildlife corridors are also disrupted. The Aravallis serve as natural passageways for numerous species; their destruction forces animals into isolated pockets, increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflicts and threatening species with dwindling genetic diversity.

“Protecting the Aravallis is not just a local issue; it’s a regional biodiversity imperative,” said a senior official from the Haryana forest department, highlighting the broader ecological repercussions of continued mining.

Illegal mining is also significantly draining government revenue. The unchecked extraction of stone and minerals reduces the long-term sustainability of natural resources critical for water retention and soil stability while simultaneously eroding potential future income for the state. As large volumes of stones are mined illegally, billions in revenue are lost—funds that could otherwise be channelled into conservation, infrastructure, education, or healthcare initiatives.

Groundwater depletion and desertification

Environmentalists warn that groundwater tables around the Aravallis have been dropping alarmingly. This reduction in groundwater levels will have drastic impacts on farming, livestock, and drinking water availability in the coming years, further exacerbating hardships for rural communities.

Neelam Ahluwalia, founder member of the group People for Aravallis, said her team met villagers from Ramalwas in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri district in October 2024, where people boycotted the state elections to bring attention to alleged illegal mining.

“They had been sitting on a dharna for many weeks to bring attention to their tube wells running dry and their farming and drinking water needs negatively impacted as a result of illegal stone mining by a contractor who was given a license to mine in 2015. Villagers were demanding compensation for damage done in their area and want ecological restoration and water recharge work done here. Many rivers like Sota, Kasaunti, and Katli in north Rajasthan have dried up due to excessive mining. In the name of licenced mining, a lot of illegal mining takes place in all the Aravalli belt. If mining is not regulated in the entire 670 km Aravalli range, millions of people will be facing an acute water crisis,” she said.

Separately, the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas-2021, published by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), revealed that 360,000 hectares — 8.2% of Haryana’s total area — became more arid by 2018–19. Experts directly link this desertification to the large-scale destruction of the Aravallis, experts said.

Deep-rooted menace

In areas such as Nuh, authorities estimate that nearly 858 million metric tonnes of stone have been illegally mined, amounting to a potential loss of around 2,000 crore. Despite periodic police sweeps and occasional seizures, the entrenched mafia operates with impunity, often paying only token fines that are absorbed as a cost of doing business.

Nuh police said that they are working on coordinating with multiple agencies to curb this menace, but the network is deeply rooted.

“The government should enforce existing laws. Ensure that violations are met with immediate penalties, revocation of licenses, and criminal prosecutions where applicable,” said Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, calling for the formation of a high court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) to oversee an impartial probe into the illegal mining networks.

Haryana forest minister Rao Narbir Singh has in the past plans to employ advanced technologies like drones, GPS-based tracking, and CCTVs at key exit points to catch the illegal transport of minerals. He highlighted that real-time data sharing between district officials, police, and the forest department is essential for a coordinated response, signifying a move towards more proactive governance.

Despite mounting evidence of ecological harm, the enforcement apparatus against illegal mining remains weak. Officials in both Haryana and Rajasthan often point to jurisdictional loopholes that allow the mafia to exploit borders and operate with minimal oversight. If a hill straddles the boundary between two states, responsibility is often deflected, and mining operations continue unchecked. This bureaucratic limbo lets the illegal mining network exploit gaps in governance, blasting hills from whichever side has looser oversight on a given day.

Since 2019, over 50 forest department checkpoints in Gurugram have been dismantled, weakening on-ground monitoring. The Enforcement Bureau, established in 2024, has shown limited progress, registering only a handful of FIRs — mainly against vehicles transporting illegally mined stone. The Aravalli Rejuvenation Board, tasked with coordinating rehabilitation efforts, has met only once since its inception, raising significant concerns about the government’s commitment to real change. Environmentalists and local communities argue that without robust enforcement and proactive policy measures, the cycle of destruction will continue unabated.

The human toll: Health and livelihood

Communities living adjacent to illegal mining sites often face deteriorating health conditions. The dust from incessant blasting and stone crushing contains fine particulates that can cause or exacerbate respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis.

Agriculture, the lifeblood of many rural communities, also suffers. As the surrounding areas become more arid due to the loss of vegetation and groundwater depletion, crop yields decline. Contaminated runoff from mining sites can affect soil fertility, further reducing agricultural productivity. In some regions, repeated blasting disrupts aquifers, causing wells to run dry or water to become silt-laden, directly impacting the availability of clean water for drinking and irrigation.

Many activists and legal experts feel that high court scrutiny may be the only way to ensure swift, unbiased enforcement. Past experiences with committees and task forces suggest that local officials often lack the will or autonomy to dismantle a lucrative underground economy entrenched in local politics. “If the judiciary steps in, imposes heavy penalties, and demands accountability from top officials, we might see a ripple effect,” said Ambika Yadav, legal counsel for environmental cases.

A critical element in curbing illegal mining is reducing the demand for stone and raw materials extracted from the Aravallis. Environmental advocates such as Ahluwalia suggest the adoption of alternative building materials—like recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste, fly ash-based bricks, or composites—that significantly reduce dependence on natural stone.

“If the construction industry had viable, readily available alternatives, the economic motivation to destroy these hills would diminish,” said Rana.

For now, Pichopa Kalan village in Charkhi Dadri stands as a grim reminder of the fate that may befall the Aravallis elsewhere if swift, decisive action is not taken. The sound of explosions and rumbling trucks—heard from Dadri to Rajasthan—continues to symbolise business as usual in an illegal industry that operates, many believe, above the law.

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